Palin and the Media
| Fri Sep. 5, 2008 8:23 AM PDT
PALIN AND THE MEDIA....Howard Fineman, Ben Smith, and Chuck Todd are all reporting the same thing: the McCain campaign is going to whisk Sarah Palin back to Alaska and then have her hole up for a good long while until they think it's safe for her to talk to the press. The excuse will be that she needs to tie up loose ends and see off her son Track, who's deploying to Iraq on September 11th. Perhaps the supposedly horrible treatment she's received by the media will also be trotted out.
But I say: don't believe it. These guys are being suckered with misinformation so that the McCain campaign will have yet another excuse to pretend that the media is bent on making up egregious lies about Palin. I don't think she's going to be talking to a horde of serious national journalists, but they'll pick some spots and do a few remotes. Maybe Larry King, despite pulling out of his show a few days ago. One or more of the morning shows. Some simpatico outlets like Fox News or the New York Post or the Wall Street Journal edit page. That kind of thing.
But I'll bet it won't be radio silence.
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I know (sigh) that the Obama campaign won't do this, but a 'where's Sarah' clock [How long has it been since Sarah talked, unscripted, to the national media?] would be a great thing. It would be a delicate thing to do but the Dems ought to get the question out there so that regular people start to ask -- what is John McCain hiding?
Kevin, you might be right, but watch this McCain campaign spokeswoman argue that Palin doesn't need to do interviews. It seems to be their party line. And frankly, as John Stewart put it, she has a lot of Wikipedia reading to do before she can take questions.
Also, the same campaign spokeswoman brings up an issue that I didn't know the Republicans had an answer for. What are the republicans proposing to help keep people in their homes? I some how missed that in their extended two-minutes-hate fest. Is the answer drill and tax cut?
Didn't she recently claim to not have enough time for a TrooperGate deposition? Has that been rendered moot by her lawyering up?
I fully expect to see Palin do an appearance on "The View". In fact, we might have to count on Whoopi having the best shot of asking a tough question. I don't suspect Palin will see one otherwise.
Submitted by riffle (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 8:46 AM PDT.
This pattern was all predicted by Jay Rosen -- and others -- before her speech.
http://editor.blogspot.com/2008/09/sarah-palin-wagging-dog-in-dodge-city...
It's going to be infuriating, but apparently not for the stenographers in the press corps.
Submitted by jerri (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 9:04 AM PDT.
Time to start asking every republican if palin will participate in VP debate...if not do the dems go on with the debate with an empty chair.
Hiding her is the only smart thing they can do. I've heard from more than one person who watched her speak on tv (I didn't, having a low tolerance for fingernails on chalk boards), and she apparently inspired a visceral loathing in much of the population. Her only fans are the dead-enders who still support Bush and consider Rove a genius - so 25% or so of the voting public? Time to toss a towel over her and sneak her out of the game.
It is really too bad for the Obama campaign that the Rove campaign won't let Sarah Palin out to play. Her convention speech alone raised ten million dollars for Obama in a single day. Think how much money she could raise for the Obama campaign if she were out there making speeches every day.
"The excuse will be that she needs to tie up loose ends and see off her son Track, who's deploying to Iraq on September 11th." -- Kevin Drum
At first I read "tie up moose ends."
I'm wondering about the vice presidential debate too. Her Brain Trust will weigh the odds of an upset, and if they look bad for Palin, she won't show (for a reason to be specified later).
Obviously, the odds against her should be overwhelming, but that's not the way the debates work. They aren't debates, they're beauty contests, and she does have experience in beauty contests.
Submitted by Bill Harshaw (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 9:26 AM PDT.
Don't know how close she is to her son, or vice versa, but even though it's safer in Iraq these days, I'd be hard put to deny them some days together.
And, given the lack of warning to her that she was seriously in contention, the whole family probably needs time to adjust.
Bottomline: Dems should be gracious for a week or so.
This may not be the best place to say this but I feel like I need to say we on our side are not really seeing the strategy of the McCain campaign.
John Kennedy was the first TV President, all Presidents after him have run TV campaigns. Barack Obama is running a new Digital campaign more than just 'use the internet' his campaign is using YouTube, Webpages, social networking sites, and most especially follow up emails, I get two three a day from his campaign. Smart Repubs are likely studing this now but they have been caught flat footed by it and his fund raising vs theirs is a key indicator.
McCains campaign bereft of issues and with the country saying his policy proposals are 'off track' is trying something new. He is trying to run a salacious what I would call "National Enquirer" campaign. I mean look at what they are doing with Sarah Palin, they are intentionally inviting the press (especially the tabloid media) to take all the (as sexy as possible) picture they can, they DID vet the candidate and loved all the 'TrooperGate', 4 month old Down syndrome, unwed pregnant teen, etc.. side issues. They are using them deliberately!
You know this because of the crocodile tears Steve Schmidt the head the campaign was crying (all of it planned), in coming weeks Kevin's Nightmare is coming true, the Republicans will intentionally parade out this family, encourage rumor and innuendo, (I suspect most the rumors on Daily Kos come from the McCain campaign) and make sure the media get all the 'art' (photos) they need. Then when the rumors are published they will wave the bloody red shirt of 'How Dare You!' to all the rubes who will listen. Look it is working already, they have dominated the news this week and there are only 8-9 more to go.
I am telling a digital campaign vs a tabloid campaign don't expect a lot of voters to 'see through it'.
I find it all very cynical and sad. It reminds me very much of the movie 'Idiocracy' I had hoped that folks would reject it after the Bush failures but hey we will see
We're going to see a lot of pictures of Gov Palin. I doubt that we'll see a serious unscripted interview before the VP debate. Because the questions ask themselves, and have no good answer:
"Governor, you claim that you opposed the use of federal earmark funds for the Gravina Island bridge project: but during your campaign for the governorship you repeatedly expressed your support ? Can you explain when and how you opposed it ?".
"Governor, Senator McCain has in the past published a list of federal earmarks that he strongly objected to. During your time as Mayor of Wasilla, three earmarks for your town appeared on Sen McCain's list. Can you justify seeking those funds ? And can you explain just what kind of "reform" of the earmark process you and Sen McCain would plan, and how it would affect communities across the country ?"
"Governor, you have been quoted as saying that you don't believe human activity contributes to climate change. What will be the policy of McCain/Palin administration on controlling emissions of greenhouse gases, and why ?"
"Obviously, the odds against her should be overwhelming, but that's not the way the debates work. They aren't debates, they're beauty contests, and she does have experience in beauty contests."
Debates aren't that hard. Whatever the question is, you just twist it around and spout some segment of your memorized stump speech. I think the Sunday shows are a tougher challenge: especially now when the press have really had it with the McCain campaign's lies and shenanigans.
Palin is using her family to gain votes from "values" voters but she doesn't want the media to question her choices. She can't have it both ways. BTW, McCain's son is also going to Iraq but he has the good sense to not use his son as campaign fodder.
Submitted by low-tech cyclist (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:05 AM PDT.
These guys are being suckered with misinformation so that the McCain campaign will have yet another excuse to pretend that the media is bent on making up egregious lies about Palin.
If that turns out to be the truth, then they should name names: they should say just what McCain operatives fed them their story. Then the story would be McCain's fibbing, rather than a media conspiracy.
I know it's been said before, but if a source suckers you into printing bad information, why on earth would a reporter feel a need to protect the source's identity?
Hiding her, and Lieberman coaching her on foreign affairs and Rove's people teaching her what to say in front of anyone media.
Did not someone write McCain's speech for him? Someone shoulda got the axe for it.
This is a seriously meant question: Is the GOP TRYING to hand Obama the election? Because it suuure looks like it.
I don't think she's going to be talking to a horde of serious national journalists, but they'll pick some spots and do a few remotes.
Well, we don't really know how bad she might be if she were unscripted on national issues. Hiding her and hoping for the best might really be their best strategy. Remember her pre-captivity bytes about wanting to know what the VP does, my first concern about being VP is how will it benefit Alaska, "I haven't given much thought to Iraq," and going giggly on a radio show when the host insults her cancer-survivor political rival as a bitch and a cancer?
We might see something like Eliza at Ascot if they remove the muzzle.
Submitted by John B. (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 10:58 AM PDT.
If there's any substance to this, Palin does indeed seem to have some other loose ends to deal with before her son deploys.
Submitted by (: Tom :) (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 11:43 AM PDT.
The excuse will be that she needs to tie up loose ends and see off her son Track, who's deploying to Iraq on September 11th.
Um, isn't it illegal to discuss deployment dates in public?
Not that this would be the first time that Caribou Barbie got a free pass on doing something illegal or anything like that...
Submitted by Gene Touchet (not verified) on Fri Sep. 5, 2008 12:11 PM PDT.
If she isn't going to Alaska for some rigorous briefings, she should be.
Of course there'll be radio spots. There're enough sycophantic radio hosts (not to mention psychopathic) to provide a constant barrage of danger-free speaking zones.
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